Top wines of the(Old) world

http://www.forbestraveler.com/food-drink/top-wines-of-the-world-story.html

This Forbes world traveler article interviewed for top American sommeliers and developed a list of 8 of the top wines in the world. I find it interesting that they all chose examples from the old world, Spain(1), Italy(1), France(3) and Germany(1). Two surprises, for me anyway, a wine from Greece and a Madeira rounded out the list. These are not my everyday fare. If you've tasted the wine in the article let me know. Cheers.

Soil, Weather, Terroir and wine

If you are at all technically minded, this is the interview for you.

-- from the graperadio site: "Ted Burns interviews David Schildknecht, Robert White and Greg Jones about the influences of soil and weather on wine grapes. David Schildknecht is a well-respected wine critic and writer for the Wine Advocate and has a special interest in the topic of terroir. Robert White is author of the book, Soils for Fine Wine. Greg Jones is a climatologist and vineyard site selection consultant."

Here's the link to the interview http://graperadio.com/podcast/GR-ENG-USA-2008-04-07.mp3

Irrigation practices, chemical makeup of the soil and the influences of weather are all fair game. All the interviewees are notably new world experts and it may have added more balance to the discussion to include European experts in the mixed. I was particularly interested in the comments regarding using irrigation practices to mimic vine stress that occurs in Bordeaux, or the Loire naturally.

Labeling Wars

What's in a name? A recent article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/04/07/MN8IV76JA.DTL
detailed the efforts of Chateau Montelana to label their wine with a specific AVA. The question is, is this purely a marketing exercise or is there really something special about the area.

A sense of place is at the heart of terroir. I applaud wine label reform when it can be backed up in the glass. Would you agree that Chateau Montelena exemplifies the "Calistoga" terroir? Is there a Calistoga terroir that is identifiable in the glass? While Chateau Montelana is undeniably great wine, even their own promotional material focuses on varietal character rather than the expression of the place it is grown.